FAIRFIELD, CT – John E. Herzog, founder and chairman emeritus of The Museum of American Finance, will discuss his book, A Billion to One: The Story of Herzog, Heine, Geduld, Inc., at a special Museum After Dark event on Thursday, November 9. Herzog will share the history of the legendary Wall Street firm his family founded and answer questions at the Fairfield Museum & History Center, 370 Beach Road. A reception will begin at 6pm and the presentation will begin at 6:30pm. The event is open to the public and free for Museum members; $5 suggested donation for non-members.
Herzog spent his active business career at Herzog Heine Geduld, Inc., which was founded in 1926 by his father. He joined the firm in 1959 and spearheaded its expansion into the third-largest NASDAQ market maker in the country. He retired from the firm as Chairman Emeritus when Merrill Lynch acquired the firm in 2000. This story is told in the book, A Billion to One, which is available for purchase at the Fairfield Museum Shop.
This intimate memoir is an unconventional story about integrity, not greed, where wrongs are quickly righted and fairness is never mistaken for generosity. For Herzog, the reward is sharing success with all who made it possible, and his story explains how that happened. Kirkus Reviews said A Billion to One is “an expert insider’s account of the securities industry that should interest active investors… The author’s insights into the industry itself are trenchant, and especially welcome in the wake of another seismic change in the regulatory landscape.”
Mr. Herzog is formerly Chairman of R.M. Smythe & Co., Inc., one of the world’s premier auction houses, specializing in antique stocks and bonds, banknotes, coins, autographs and photographs. In 1988, Mr. Herzog founded the Museum of American Finance, an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution, donating part of his extensive collection of financial memorabilia to the Museum. A graduate of Cornell and New York University Stern School, he is a former member of the NYU Stern School Board of Overseers; president of the Board of the Fairfield Museum, and a member of the American Antiquarian Society, Grolier Club, Down Town Association and the Union League Club in New York. He is Honorary Chair of the Alexander Hamilton Awareness Society, and member of the board of the Pequot Library, Southport, CT. Mr. Herzog is also a Trustee Emeritus of Randolph-Macon Woman’s College, Lynchburg, VA, and was a member of the board of regents of Long Island College Hospital. He is a holder of the Ellis Island Medal.
About the Fairfield Museum and History Center
Located at 370 Beach Road in Fairfield, CT, the Fairfield Museum is open seven days a week, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Members of the Museum and children under 5 are admitted for free. For more information, call 203-259-1598 or visit Fairfieldhistory.org. The Fairfield Museum is an independent, dynamic non-profit museum, library, cultural arts and educational organization founded in 1903 that provides individuals and families with a wide array of exhibitions and educational programs that teach regional history, celebrate a shared heritage, and prepare students and adults to be active participants in their community. The Museum relies on funding from individuals, corporations and foundations and is especially grateful for leadership support from the State of Connecticut, Town of Fairfield and Fairfield County’s Community Foundation.